The National Department of Health and Human Services , Administration for Children and Families, has notified Nebraska DHHS that an award of $8.9M each year for three years for Preschool Development Grant Birth-Five (PDG) Renewal Grant has been made. Together, contributing partners have pledged $2.7M in matching funds. This award builds on the successful implementation of the Preschool Development Grant in 2019, whose purpose was to encourage more efficient use of federal, local, and private resources to align and strengthen the delivery of existing early childhood services.

The Preschool Development Grant offers an unprecedented opportunity for Nebraska to assess and improve its early childhood system at the state and local levels. It also provides a framework to bring together the combined resources and expertise of state agencies, early childhood and K-12 educators, community leaders, nonprofits and an array of private sector interests for a common goal—to improve the developmental outcomes of our state’s youngest children. (author abstract)